US regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade.
The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed by the US Justice Department calls for Google to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions designed to prevent its Android smartphone software from favouring its search engine.
The recommended penalties underscore how severely regulators operating under President Joe Biden believe Google should be punished following an August ruling by US District Judge Amit Mehta that branded Google as a monopolist.
The Justice Department decision-makers who will inherit the case after president-elect Donald Trump takes office next year might not be as strident.
The Washington, DC court hearings on Google’s punishment are scheduled to begin in April and Mr Mehta is aiming to issue his final decision before Labour Day.
FILE – Audience members gather at Made By Google for new product announcements (AP/Juliana Yamada)
If Mr Mehta embraces the Justice Department’s recommendations, Google will almost certainly appeal the punishments, prolonging a legal tussle that has dragged on for more than four years.
Besides seeking a Chrome spinoff and corralling of the Android software, the Justice Department wants the judge to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apple’s iPhone and other devices.
Regulators also want Google to share data it collects from people’s queries with its rivals, giving them a better chance at competing with the tech giant.
The measures, if they are ordered, threaten to upend a business expected to generate more than 300 billion dollars (£236 billion) in revenue this year.
“The playing field is not level because of Google’s conduct, and Google’s quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired,” the US Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. “The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages.”
It is still possible that the Justice Department could ease off attempts to break up Google, especially if Mr Trump takes the widely expected step of replacing Jonathan Kanter, who was appointed by Mr Biden to oversee the agency’s antitrust division.
Although the case targeting Google was originally filed during the final months of Mr Trump’s first term in office, Mr Kanter oversaw the high-profile trial that culminated in Mr Mehta’s ruling against Google.Working in tandem with Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan, Mr Kanter took a get-tough stance against Big Tech that triggered other attempted crackdowns on industry powerhouses such as Apple and discouraged business deals from getting done during the past four years.
Mr Trump recently expressed concerns that a breakup might destroy Google but did not elaborate on the alternative penalties he might have in mind.
“What you can do without breaking it up is make sure it’s more fair,” Mr Trump said last month.